Clockwork Angel (!!!)
I was EXTREMELY lucky and I'm eternally grateful to get my hands on an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Clockwork Angel, the first in Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series(release date August 31st). The first thing I'll say is, WOW. That's nothing new, Cassandra Clare has a habit of blowing my mind. She has a gift and I am so thankful that she continues to share it with the world. She has written another phenomenal and fascinating book brimming with action, excitement, romance and characters that already hold places in my heart, even though we just met. This is not a book that you will simply read and put down, it is one that you will savor and return to, more than once. Miss Clare is wise beyond her years and she has left us with countless quotes and philosophical musings. As a matter of fact, I now have a new, all-time favorite book quote thanks to Clockwork Angel (if you wish to know what that quote is, scroll down all the way to the bottom of this review-it's not a spoiler, but you may want to discover it for yourself). Each page is a feast for the eyes and an indulgence for the senses. Be prepared to be amazed, thrilled, enchanted, frightened, shocked and have your breath taken away...again. Cassandra Clare has taken the contemporary world of magic and mayhem that we know from The Mortal Instruments series and flawlessly placed it in Victorian England for this prequel series. Here you will find some familiar faces but you will also encounter new villains, creepy monsters and a fresh group of young (and hot) Shadowhunters ready to do battle. This is one thrill ride I will happily get back in line to ride again. And for those of you still in line, it is worth the wait.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices, Book One):
The year is 1878 and young Tessa Gray has left the safety and familiarity of New York after the untimely death of her Aunt Harriet. She has crossed the ocean to join her brother Nate in London. Upon arrival to this new and very gloomy place, she does not find dear Nate and is instead kidnapped by two strange women called the Dark Sisters who claim association with a mysterious organization known as the Pandemonium Club. Tessa is taken away and locked in a room, told that if she didn't cooperate with them, it would mean certain death for her brother. The Dark Sisters are asking her to use her powers, but Tessa has no idea what they mean, at least until one day when something extraordinary happens. She discovers that there is more to her and the world itself. She is now a prisoner and apparently a magical one, but all she hopes for is that she can one day escape. Her wish is about to come true when a handsome and slightly smug young man named Will comes to the rescue.
Tessa now knows that the world she sees is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a whole other side filled with Downworld creatures like demons, vampires, werewolves and warlocks. There are also Shadowhunters, who are sworn to defeat evil and protect humans from even discovering the truth about the things that go bump in the night. This is a lot for Tessa to take in, but she has no choice. She is now a part of it, and she is also being hunted by dark forces because of her own powers. She is offered protection by the Shadowhunters but she still must find her brother, if he is still alive. While she is learning about this new and frightening world, she is captivated by two handsome and very different Shadowhunters. The gorgeous and slightly annoying Will and the quiet and gentle Jem. She feels a connection to both, but she also believes that each is hiding a secret.
As Tessa searches for the truth about herself and her new identity, she can't avoid being pulled into the middle of a battle between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders. The time for innocence is over for her. Now it's time to kick some evil fanny (she is a lady, after all). Someone is behind an evil plot involving murder and magic. All anyone knows is that this sinister being is called The Magister, and he is creating an army of abominable clockwork automatons intent on the destruction of all that is in their way. It will be a fight to the finish for Tessa and her new allies. One that will test her strength as well as her convictions.
I already can't wait for the next book! WOOO! I hope my heart rate has gone down by then! And I now have another choice to make in life: Will or Jem?
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No music to go with it, but I will leave you with this. It's an actual unrestored automaton circa 1880. And it's kind of creepy ;)
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"Whatever you are physically...male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy-all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside."
-Jem from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
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<3 Michelle